Michael V. Capps or Mike Capps is an American video game designer who was the president of

Epic Games Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...

, based in

Cary, North Carolina Cary is a town in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh–Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 Census, its population was 174,721, making it the seventh largest muni ...

from 2002 to 2012. In 2018, he co-founded a new artificial intelligence company called Diveplane Corporation. He has been described as "a legendary figure in the video game industry."

Early life

Capps attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, graduating ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' with degrees in math and creative writing in 1994. He also earned his MS in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1996. Capps then went on to complete an SM in computer science and electrical engineering from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 1998, followed by a Ph.D. in computer science from the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...

in 2002.

Career

Naval Postgraduate School

Before entering the game industry, Capps served as a research assistant professor at the

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

from 1998 to 2002. His areas of specialization were computer graphics, defense and entertainment collaboration, and

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...

. For his work in these areas, he was one of fifty graphics pioneers interviewed for the

ACM SIGGRAPH ACM SIGGRAPH is the international Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques based in New York. It was founded in 1969 by Andy van Dam (its direct predecessor, ACM SICGRAPH was f ...

documentary '' The Story of Computer Graphics''. Capps was selected by the Army's Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis (OEMA) to head its development team that was charged with designing a fun military video game. He became the producer, designer and lead programmer of the America’s Army computer game. He used Epic's Games'

Unreal Engine Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game ''Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of genres ...

to build the game.

Scion Studios

In 2002, Capps founded a video game company, Scion Studios, and became its CEO. Scion was acquired by Epic Games in March 2004.

Epic Games

Capps has been a game designer, executive producer, head writer, lead programmer, research professor, and studio executive. He is best known for his decade as the president of

, makers of the mega-hit ''

Gears of War ''Gears of War'' is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The franchise is best known for its third-person shooter vide ...

'', ''

Infinity Blade ''Infinity Blade'' is an action role-playing game developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games and released through the Apple App Store on December 9, 2010. It was the first iOS video game to run on the Unreal Engine. In the game, the unname ...

'', ''

Fortnite ''Fortnite'' is an online video game developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in three distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: ''Fortnite Battle Royale'', a free-to-p ...

'' franchises, and the award-winning ''

''. Under his leadership, Epic was named Studio of the Year at the 2006

Spike Video Game Awards The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 to 2013 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by ...

, the North Carolina Technology Association 2007 Large Company of the Year, and the NCTA 2008 Top Industry Driven Technology Company of the Year. In addition, Gears of War won the Best Game and the Technology Award at

Game Developers Choice Awards The Game Developers Choice Awards are awards annually presented at the Game Developers Conference for outstanding game developers and games. Introduced in 2001, the Game Developers Choice Awards were preceded by the Spotlight Awards, which were ...

in 2007. Capps also successfully defended video games using free speech before the U.S. Supreme Court. He stepped down from the post of president in December 2012.

Autarch

Capps is co-owner of Autarch LLC, responsible for award-winning tabletop role-playing games, such as ''Adventurer Conqueror King''.

Diveplane

In 2018, Capps co-founded and became the CEO of Diveplane Corporation, an artificial intelligence start-up company based in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

, along with Dr. Chris Hazard and

Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct ...

. Diveplane has eighteen employees and is backed by $3.5 million. It is working the areas of healthcare and

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

racing simulation. In 2019, Diveplane won first place at the UBS Future of Finance Challenge for its platform, GEMENAI.

Television appearances

Capps is the technology futurist for the

Science Channel Science Channel (often simply branded as Science; abbreviated to SCI) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel features programming focusing on science related to wilderness survival, engineering, manu ...

's '' What on Earth?, Combat Countdown,'' and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

's ''

The Unexplained Files The Unexplained Files is a 2010s American television series, airing on Science Channel, which investigates Paranormal and other unexplained phenomena. This was the highest-rated series on Science during its first season in 2013. The second season b ...

''. He has also been featured as a technology expert and futurist on multiple documentary series on the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

and

Military Channel American Heroes Channel (formerly Military Channel and originally Discovery Wings Channel) is an American multinational pay television television network, channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. The n ...

Awards

* 2007

Best Game for ''

'' * 2007 Game Developers Choice Awards Technology for ''Gears of War'' * 2009 Technology Executive of the Year, North Carolina Technology Association * 2012 CEO of the Year,

WRAL WRAL may refer to: * WRAL-TV, a television station (channel 17, virtual 5) licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina * WRAL (FM), a radio station (101.5 FM) licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina * WPJL WPJL (1240 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a ...

Tech Wire Full Steam Ahead Awards * 2012

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year The EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards previously Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards is an award sponsored by Ernst & Young in recognition of entrepreneurship. Founded in 1986 in Milwaukee as a single award, as of 2016 twenty-five pro ...

finalist. * 2016, Beacon Award for Lifetime Achievement, North Carolina Technology Association * Game Developer 50, '' Game Developer''

Professional affiliations

Capps currently serves on the board of the

Sphero Sphero, Inc. (formerly Orbotix) is an American consumer robotics and toy company based in Boulder, Colorado. Their first product, the Sphero, is a white spherical robot launched in December 2011 capable of rolling around under the control of a sm ...

entertainment robotics company in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

and is the chairman of the advisory board for the Lonerider Brewing Company. He also serves on the board of Epic Games. He also served as an advisor to the

Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...

and the Video Games track. He was a member of the North Carolina Innovation Council. He is a frequent speaker at

Dragon Con Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. , the convention draws attendance of over 80,000, f ...

. He served on the boards of the

Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...

, the

Entertainment Software Association The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) and renamed on July 21, 2003. It is based in ...

, the

International Game Developers Association The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is a nonprofit professional association whose stated mission is to "support and empower game developers around the world in achieving fulfilling and sustainable careers." The IGDA is incorpo ...

, and

Remedy Entertainment Remedy Entertainment Oyj, trading internationally as Remedy Entertainment Plc, is a Finnish video game developer based in Espoo. Notable games the studio has developed include the first two instalments in the '' Max Payne'' franchise, ''Alan ...

in Finland. He was the Treasurer for the Board of the

IGDA The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is a nonprofit professional association whose stated mission is to "support and empower game developers around the world in achieving fulfilling and sustainable careers." The IGDA is incorpo ...

and was a member of the Entertainment Software Review Board.

Personal life

Capps became a stay-at-home father when his two children were born. He returned to work as his children became He is a member of Change the Equation. He also serves on the board of The Raleigh School.

Projects

Video games

Design

* '' America's Army: Operations'' (Epic Games, 2002)'''' * '' Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict'' (Epic Games, 2005)

Producer

* '' America's Army: Operations'' (2002)'''' * ''

'' (Epic Games/Microsoft Game Studios, 2006) *

Limited Collectors Edition (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studios, 2006) * ''

Unreal Tournament 3 ''Unreal Tournament 3'' (''UT3'') is a first-person shooter, first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Midway Games. Part of the Unreal (video game series), ''Unreal'' franchise, it is the fourth game in the ...

'' (Epic Games, 2007) * ''Gears of War Ultimate Edition'' (Epic Games, 2015)

Programming and engineering

* '' America's Army: Operations'' (2002)'''' * ''

Unreal Tournament 2003 ''Unreal Tournament 2003'' is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes, and published by Infogrames under the Atari brand name. The game is part of the ''Unreal'' franchise, and is a sequel to 1999's ...

'' (Epic Games, 2003) * ''

Unreal Tournament 2004 ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. Part of the ''Unreal'' franchise, it is the third game in the ''Unreal Tournament'' series and the sequel to ''Unreal Tournament ...

'' (Epic Games, 2004) * '' Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict'' (Epic Games, 2005)

Writer

* ''

'' (Epic Games, 2007)

President

* ''

Gears of War 2 ''Gears of War 2'' is a third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the second installment of the ''Gears of War'' series, with lead design by Cliff Bleszinski. The ga ...

'' (Epic Games, 2008) * ''

Shadow Complex ''Shadow Complex'' is a platform-adventure Metroidvania video game developed by Chair Entertainment in association with Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 in 2009. The game follows Jason and his girlfriend Clai ...

'' (Epic Games, 2009) *''

'' (Epic Games, 2010) '''' *''

Infinity Blade II ''Infinity Blade II'' was an action role-playing video game for iOS developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games. The game was the sequel to ''Infinity Blade'' by the same developers. ''Infinity Blade II'' was announced on October 4, 2011, dur ...

'' (Epic Games, 2011) *''

Gears of War 3 ''Gears of War 3'' is a third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the third installment of the ''Gears of War'' series. Originally due for release on April 8, 2011, the game ...

'' (Epic Games, 2011) *''

Bulletstorm ''Bulletstorm'' is a 2011 first-person shooter game developed by People Can Fly and Epic Games and published by Electronic Arts (EA). The video game is distinguished by its system of rewarding players with "skillpoints" for performing increasi ...

'' (Epic Games, 2011) *'' Gears of War: Judgment'' (Epic Games 2013)

Tabletop games

*''Marvel Multiverse Table Top Role Playing Game'' (Marvel, 2022)

Graphic novels

* ''Gears of War: Volume Two''. Wildstorm, 2011.

References

External links

Official website of Epic Games
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capps, Mike Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Naval Postgraduate School alumni Naval Postgraduate School faculty Video game businesspeople People from Raleigh, North Carolina Video game developers American video game designers